Navigating the Tempest of Life: Spiritual Warfare and the Journey to Fulfillment

Step into the enigmatic realm of the spiritual battleground, a place where we journey from the Garden of Eden to the wilderness with Jesus. Here, we delve into the essence of human temptation and divine fortitude, exploring the timeless conflict between the soul and body. These ancient narratives, resonating with our modern quest for meaning and redemption, reveal the seductive allure of shortcuts to fulfillment and the transformative power of worship and gratitude in our daily lives.

As the tides of temptation rise, we offer insight into how to withstand the onslaught of spiritual and physical desires. Stephen illuminates the path to resilience, sharing poignant anecdotes and wisdom that underscore the crucial role of vigilance and communal support in our faith journeys. Together, we confront the deceptive tactics of our adversaries, fostering a steadfast spirit and the cultivation of a life rich with purpose and spiritual health.

Our dialogue culminates in a thoughtful examination of the delicate balance between our spiritual well-being and physical health. We explore the art of pruning our lives to remove the detrimental and shape our existence towards growth and self-improvement. Through this enlightening exchange, we strive to empower and equip you with the insights necessary to navigate the intricate dance of life, ensuring that you emerge fortified and ready to claim victory in your own spiritual warfare.

Chapters

• 0:00 Spiritual Warfare
• 7:27 Spiritual Warfare and Jesus' Temptation
• 14:52 Combatting Spiritual Temptations Through Worship
• 26:26 Navigating Spiritual Warfare in Faith
• 31:50 Prioritize Spiritual and Physical Health

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Now, some of you, or most of you, are familiar with the story. In the beginning there was nothing, and then, all of a sudden, there was everything God created at all, including a garden. This is the Garden of Eden, and this garden had everything. The writer of Genesis goes on and says it has fruit and trees and plants of all kinds. And it wasn't just that it had fruits and trees of all kinds, but the writer says it was pleasing to the eye, it so it was like it wasn't just that it was there, but that it also looked good too. So God, like the master landscaper here, making it look good, we read that kind of the pinnacle. The highlight of God's creation is he creates one thing, one being in his image, and it's not birds, it's not fish, it's not the plants or the trees. All of that stuff is very good. He declares it as good. But he creates you and me, he creates people. Now, my point right now is not was this a literal story or figurative? That's not my point bringing this up. My point bringing it up is that God creates paradise here on earth and he doesn't just enjoy it for himself, but he puts you in it, he puts me in it. He puts us in it and what do we do? The story goes we messed it up.

Speaker 1: 1:15

We read about a serpent. This is later interpreted to be what translates in English as the Satan. So the serpent, the Satan, comes and tempts the man and the woman and says first off, did God really say you shouldn't eat from this tree? And the woman says yes, in fact he did. We were told that we could do just about anything we wanted to do in here. Very limited rules. There's so much life to enjoy in this place. The one thing that we were most certainly not supposed to do is eat from this tree. And then the serpent deceives them, says well, you know, the reason that God doesn't want you to eat from this tree is because there's information you don't know. There's things that he has that you could have. And the woman looks at it and she's pretty convinced. And the man is there with him. He doesn't get a pass here. Okay, this isn't. We're not blaming women here. Okay, the man is right there, he's part of the conversation. And the woman says you know, I would like to know more. What is this information I don't already possess, and could that information lead to power? I think this is a common thing that we all feel in our own lives Like, ooh, is there more out there for me? So she has a lapse in judgment. She doesn't trust God. She takes the fruit. He takes the fruit. Their eyes are open and all of a sudden, not only do they realize they're naked and there is some knowledge that came with them, but sin burst into the world and Paul tells us like with sin came pain and with sin came death. Before sin, before this moment, there was no pain or suffering or sickness, there was no separation from God, and right away we're told that something is wrong and we absolutely fundamentally need redemption. Now let's leave the story there for a minute.

Speaker 1: 3:06

We're continuing our series Going Through Luke. This story was not in Luke, it's in Genesis, but we're going through Luke and so, if you want to join me, I'm going to Luke, chapter 4. Today. The series has been called Empowered for More, and we've been looking at Jesus as he starts his earthly ministry as an adult. We see that up until this point, not a whole lot has happened in Jesus's life, but that he is baptized, he is filled with the Spirit, he's empowered for more, and that is where we are picking up today Now, something interesting that I learned this week that I'm absolutely surprised. I learned because I've taken multiple courses on Luke and Acts. But one of the things that surprised me was, if you remember, last week, luke ends his genealogy with Jesus being a descendant of Adam, the son of God, and then we go in to Jesus being led by the Spirit, into the wilderness.

Speaker 1: 4:01

Scholars believe what Luke is trying to do here is to draw your attention to two different scenarios. You see, in the garden, everything was perfect and there was only one wrong choice. But as we're going to read today, we're going to see that Jesus is in the opposite of the garden. Jesus is in a desert and there's only one right choice. And what Luke wants you to do is have both of these images in your head as we consider the choice and the choices that Jesus continues to make. Adam was in an environment full of life with just one temptation. Jesus is going to be in an environment of death with just one right choice. And it's not an accident that Luke begins this way.

Speaker 1: 4:45

So we're going to start with verse 1, jesus full of the Holy Spirit. Remember he's just been baptized. He's full of the Holy Spirit. He returned from the Jordan River where he was baptized, and he was then led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and he became very hungry.

Speaker 1: 5:06

What's interesting here is, up until this point, you can remember the first time we did this, we did the first part of Luke last fall, last winter, and I kept saying every time Luke's going to mention something, he's going to say they're going to be full of the Holy Spirit, they're full of the Holy Spirit, full of the Holy Spirit. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time where we read someone is led by the Holy Spirit and it's Jesus. You see, up until this point, people were filled with the Holy Spirit, but now Luke adds something very specific. And again, luke, our historian, our research project manager, intentional about every word he writes, doesn't just say Jesus, full of the Spirit, went to the wilderness to be tempted. Jesus was led by.

Speaker 1: 5:45

We see an evolution, an unpacking of this theology around the Holy Spirit. Luke says you're not just to be full of the Holy Spirit, but you're to be led by the Holy Spirit. And today, if you didn't know, is Pentecost Sunday. This is the day in which the Holy Spirit burst onto the scene. It wasn't just sin that comes into the garden, but the Holy Spirit jumps into the scene with us on this day. Jesus is in the wilderness. He had just been baptized again. Now we will all face spiritual tests and temptations, and that is what we refer to as spiritual warfare, spiritual conflict.

Speaker 1: 6:27

There's more going on in your life than what you can see and what you can feel, and today I want to talk about the nature of spiritual warfare. If you have questions about demons, about the Satan, I did all of that on a series last year called Unseen Okay, unseen, and you can watch it there. The baseline for today is that we're going to set that aside, because I want to talk to you about the nature of spiritual warfare. It is not as seen on TV. There's not a little possessed doll running around your house at night with a knife. Okay, if there is, that's not what I'm talking about here. Okay, there's something else going on there. But spiritual warfare is not like that. We have all of these things that Hollywood produces on TV or these books, and they sell great, a lot of books. It's a good story, but what we actually see between Genesis and Revelation is not that what we see is more subtle types of attacks.

Speaker 1: 7:27

Spiritual warfare often involves subtle everyday battles that you and I face, small temptations and small lies that don't just challenge your integrity, but they challenge your faith, and so, by understanding the true nature of spiritual conflict, of spiritual warfare, I hope that by the end of our talk, I've equipped you to handle it a little bit better tomorrow than you were off yesterday. Now Jesus faces the devil's temptations Despite having a divine nature. Let's not forget that Jesus wasn't just fully God, but Jesus is also fully human. Luke points this out. He doesn't want you to think that Jesus went to just fully God, but Jesus is also fully human. Luke points this out. He doesn't want you to think that Jesus went to fast for 40 days. He says Jesus was very hungry. Okay, so Luke's like hey, just before you forget here, he's human, just like you and me.

Speaker 1: 8:18

Now I'm hungry right now. I can feel it in my belly. I have not had breakfast. I usually don't eat breakfast because I don't want to get up here and then burp into my microphone and that would be really awkward for all of us. But I'm hungry right now and I've you know, last time I ate was last night. Okay, so we're less than 24 hours here. Jesus goes 40 days of fasting, likely just water, and so he's hungry.

Speaker 1: 8:42

And in case you want to know what actually happens, what's telling me I'm hungry right now is actually a hormone. This hormone is signaling to my brain right now hey, you're hungry, hey, we need energy, hey, you need to eat. This hormone also makes me irritable. It makes you irritable too. This hormone also affects our ability to concentrate, which, if I sound scattered today, it's just hunger. Okay, as the Snicker commercial says, you're not you when you're hungry and actually, biologically speaking, it's very true. Your body needs glucose, glucose and the foods that you eat. That's what your brain needs to function. So everything going on when you're hungry is your brain freaking out, saying, hey, something's wrong here. Red alert, it is now the most important thing. So I wanted to throw all of that out there. So you know that.

Speaker 1: 9:29

Jesus in the middle of the wilderness, he is irritable, he's having a hard time concentrating, he's grumpy, he's hangry. You're not you when you're hungry. And then that is when the devil said to him if you are the son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread. But Jesus told him no. The scriptures say people do not live on bread alone.

Speaker 1: 9:54

Jesus isn't just in a spiritual battle, he's in a physical one. My man is out there starving to death. He possesses the ability to turn whatever he wants into whatever kind of food he wants. You know, he could have turned it into bread, but I believe Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, probably would have gone with a cheeseburger or some chicken tenders. You know he could have done anything and he's hungry.

Speaker 1: 10:16

And what the devil in this story does first isn't challenging him spiritually. On the forefront, the perception is do this on the physical front, jesus, you're tired, you're hungry. Oh, man, and you know what, you can take care of this. Isn't that amazing. You have the power. Jesus doesn't argue that he doesn't have the power. Jesus doesn't say, oh no, I can't do that. Jesus is probably very aware that no, he could turn that stone into some really great bread, but he doesn't do it. He knew that he was in the desert for a specific purpose, and that was a spiritual purpose, and it was requiring him to discipline his physical body to submit to God. He's not just trying to submit his soul to God.

Speaker 1: 11:04

I think sometimes in the church world, if you're a follower of Jesus, whether you've been for an hour or 10 years sometimes we get so caught up in making sure that my spiritual self is in really great shape. But we cannot forget that spiritually and physically, everything is intertwined. What affects one affects the other, as evident by this story. The first lie that we get in spiritual warfare is you've got this, you don't need God. You don't need God.

Speaker 1: 11:32

Some of you have heard that, maybe this morning or this week. There's a situation going on in your life and why pray about it? Why think about it? Why ask God about it? I've got this. It could be something really small. I've got a headache, take some aspirin. I'm not telling you not to do that. That's common sense. But then there are the other areas of our life that are big and we say I've got this, I don't need God. God can't provide for me. Is the underlying message of this. You see, jesus, just turn that stone into bread and feed yourself because you're so hungry. God isn't taking care of your physical needs, but you can. That's the lie.

Speaker 1: 12:17

That lie might look like this to you today the world tells you, the voices in your head tells you that you need a romantic relationship to be happy. The world tells you you need a relationship, a romantic relationship, to be complete. That might be the voice in your head, but true happiness and completeness comes from a deep relationship with God, not another person. Meaningful connections with God leads to meaningful connections with others that can be just as fulfilling as a romantic relationship. If you are not in a romantic relationship, you are not incomplete. There is nothing wrong with you. Not incomplete, there is nothing wrong with you. But if that voice is telling you there is, you might be having a little bit of some spiritual conflict going on.

Speaker 1: 13:06

You don't need to have a high paying job to have purpose or be successful. You do not. Purpose and fulfillment come from faithfully using your gifts and your passions and whatever capacity you find yourself in tomorrow to serve other people. If it pays, well, great. But if it doesn't, it doesn't mean you're unsuccessful. It doesn't mean that God doesn't care about you. If you feel tomorrow morning I'm going to this stupid job that doesn't pay me anything and I have no purpose and I'm not as successful as this person or that person my brother, my dad, my son you might be in some spiritual conflict. You don't need a lot of likes or followers on social media. You don't need constant entertainment to avoid boredom. When we prioritize physical needs over spiritual ones, your body will find temporary relief, but your soul will suffer permanently. When we sacrifice our spiritual needs and prioritize our physical ones, our bodies will find temporary relief, but our souls will suffer.

Speaker 1: 14:06

And Jesus demonstrates to us the importance of maintaining a spiritual focus, even in the face of a great physical need. And he counters the devil's temptation not by saying, oh yeah, I could do it, not by, oh, devil, go away. But he quotes scripture to him affirming that true life comes from every word that proceeds out of God's mouth. Jesus remains faithful to God and by following Jesus' example we can resist the lies that tempt us to seek fulfillment in the wrong places. If you try to seek fulfillment in the wrong places, you will not find it, but if you seek fulfillment in God first, you will find fulfillment in other ways. You're saying okay, practically, what does this mean for me today? I'm trekking with you right now.

Speaker 1: 14:52

Okay, to combat the lie that we don't need God. I believe that the best answer to that to develop within your own life to fight against this lie is to make worship a central part of your life. Make worship a central part. I'm not just talking about this hour here, but this hour here is important. It's unifying. We come together in community. It's great, but worship is 24-7. I mean, worship is the clothes we put on, it's the foods that we decide to eat. It's recycling can be a form of worship. Taking care of your lawn, taking care of your house, taking care of your kids, how you parent, how you act these are all forms of worship. And if we ever want to avoid this like I don't need God, we continue to worship, because worship reminds us that we are dependent on God.

Speaker 1: 15:35

Another thing you can do is a gratitude journal. I started doing this five-year journal like 10 years ago and essentially I just write down a sentence or two every day. And what's amazing about this is now I have like seven years of data where I can look back and I can see where I was freaking out about something and God answered it. Or I can look back and say I'm really glad God didn't answer it and I'm writing right. Or I can look back and say I'm really glad God didn't answer it and I'm writing right now and I can't help but think that someday future me is looking at my prayers today and being like I'm glad God answered that or I'm really glad he didn't. But starting a gratitude journal and keeping those records over a long period of time can remind us of our dependency on God. It's so important.

Speaker 1: 16:16

Temptation number two, since Jesus doesn't falter there, the devil kind of comes back with a stronger attack against Jesus. The devil took him up and revealed to him all of the kingdoms of the world. In a moment of time, I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them. The devil said because they are mine to give to anyone. I please, I will give it all to you if you will worship me. Jesus replies. Scriptures say you must worship the Lord, your God, and only serve him.

Speaker 1: 16:44

The lie in this temptation is you deserve it or just one time won't hurt, just one time you deserve it. See, first Satan says can I make you question God's provision? God doesn't care about you. And when Jesus stood up to that, he says okay, yeah, you're right, god will take care of you. So how about a shortcut, instead of waiting for God to answer the prayer, instead of waiting for God to give you the fulfillment. Why don't you just take a shortcut Just this one time? Yes God, you know Satan, almost like he concedes You're right, he will eventually take care of you. But you know I could take care of you now. You know I could help you now.

Speaker 1: 17:25

And you have to think what a tempting offer this would have been for Jesus. All of the glory, no cross. That's the offer that's on the table All of the glory, none of the cross. I mean, I just imagine Jesus, who's starving to death out here, must have just been really torn eternally. He must have at least thought about it, right, like, oh, I wonder if that's. But here's the thing it's also a lie, because the world isn't Satan's to give away. Satan didn't have the authority. He says I do, he says I'll give it to you all, and Jesus doesn't even really quite call him out on that. Jesus goes to the next point, the greater point, which is, even if it was your authority to give away, I won't worship you. Even if the world was yours and you could do what you're saying you're going to do, I only worship God. This is what is written.

Speaker 1: 18:23

In our own lives, I think we've faced similar situations every day to take shortcuts. I think we compromise our values for immediate gratification to save time to get a little bit of boost of adrenaline or enjoyment or whatever it is. We might say to ourselves well, I'm too tired to pray. Time to get a little bit of boost of adrenaline or enjoyment or whatever it is. We might say to ourselves well, I'm too tired to pray today, so I'm not going to pray today or read the Bible or go to church, whatever it might be. We say at work, I'll just cut corners today, I'm so tired, I'm just going to do the bare minimum of what's expected out of me For a lot of us. You know what I'm going to lie about my feelings in this relationship so I can avoid conflict. It's a shortcut. It gets you immediate gratification. You'll get through the workday, your relationship will probably last another hour, you could go back to praying and everything.

Speaker 1: 19:08

But I think that a lot of times, once we take the shortcut and once we get that immediate gratification, and once we get that immediate gratification, just one more time, just one more time, just one more time. You know, for me it was that I got a gym membership like 10 years ago and then I didn't go for like six years. I just kept saying, oh, I'll just skip it one more time. I said that like every day for seven years. Okay, it was like it was never going to happen. Man, just wake up and cancel your gym membership. But this is what happens.

Speaker 1: 19:36

It doesn't just usually begin with like I'm going to skip reading the Bible today or praying, spiritually speaking. Then it's like, well, maybe on Thursday I do it, and then maybe all of next week, and then a week turns into weeks and before you know it you're months away and you're like why does my faith feel so stagnant right now? And it's like we've completely put out of our mind the practices that were helping us be spiritually alive and we've forgotten. And so then, when we get to the point where we're at the desert and we feel alone, like how did I get here? I think the best way to combat this, whether it's physically speaking, with our relationships or finances, is to regularly meditate on biblical passages.

Speaker 1: 20:17

And I think for some of you, memorizing would be a very good spiritual discipline. And I'm not talking about entire pages of the Bible, but if you know that you struggle with anxiety, maybe memorizing some verses on anxiety so that you can have a little bit more self-positive talk going on. When you're worried you're like, oh no, remember that about God. Maybe, if you feel unlovable, you can memorize how much these verses about how much God loves you unconditionally. Maybe, when you feel like you've screwed up beyond comprehension, you memorize verses about grace and how far God was willing to go to say that I do believe in you. So I think for some of us it is just regular meditation. It is creating five to 10 minutes a day to get centered, to stay grounded. I'm not saying you read a chapter a day or a verse a day. I think it can look differently, but it is staying grounded in some way, shape or form, and for some of you it might include memorization.

Speaker 1: 21:09

Shortcuts and compromises are tempting. It's a form of a spiritual attack when it comes to compromising our faith and our integrity. And then, when Jesus passes this test, satan comes at him with a harder test. So for some of you in the room you're like yep, been there, done that. Yep, been there, done that. Well then, maybe this is the spiritual test that you find yourself on today.

Speaker 1: 21:32

The devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the temple and said if you are the son of God, jump off. You know what's interesting? Satan is quoting the Bible about a prophecy about Jesus. Satan affirms that what's in the Old Testament is about Jesus. Just something I thought was interesting. He said they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. And Jesus responded.

Speaker 1: 22:08

Scriptures also say you must not test the Lord, your God. You see, the lie here is if God loves you, then dot dot, dot. And that's what I'm saying for some of you who have gotten through some spiritual conflicts and spiritual warfare in the past. This might be where you're at. If God loves me, then he will heal me. But he has it. If God cared, he would give me my dream job or at least a raise. I wouldn't struggle, I wouldn't live paycheck to paycheck. If God loved me, I wouldn't be going through a long period of spiritual dryness right now, where God feels far away. God, where are you? Aha, if God loves me, and these thoughts lead us to doubt God's love and his provision. It makes us vulnerable to take matters into our own hands. I can't trust God anymore. God won't fix this. I'm tired of waiting. He doesn't even feel close anymore. So I will take care of this. It kind of takes us back to that first temptation, doesn't it? It's just a little bit more evolved. At this point.

Speaker 1: 23:17

Satan does use an Old Testament passage about Jesus affirming that it is Jesus, and I think that for some of us, the spiritual attack we might be going through is a passage in our head that's ripped out of context, because that's what he does. He says this is in the Bible, and you've heard that too right of context, because that's what he does. He says this is in the Bible, and you've heard that too right. You've seen that on Facebook. It's in the Bible, and we parade it around and Jesus says yeah, I mean, once again, jesus doesn't argue with them, it is in there. But Jesus said it also says you're not supposed to do this. Context is key, context is key and Context is key, context is key.

Speaker 1: 23:54

And so, again, the things that we're talking about when we're going through these spiritual warfare and these battles and these conflict, it's important to know that the person, our spiritual enemy, is really good at telling just the right amount of lies with just the right amount of truth to make it believable. It's never a flat out lie. There's always enough of both to make it believable. And so, again, the voice in your head might say well, if God loves me, won't he help me? The most potent in my opinion, the most potent defense against this kind of spiritual attack is to be in small Christian community. I'm talking even smaller than this room. I know for some of you you're watching, listening online. This room is small. I'm saying smaller than this.

Speaker 1: 24:35

Our small groups, which we cap at 10 people, are so critical. Why? Because it puts you in community with other people. Some of them might be going through what you're going through. Some of them have been through what you're going through. Some of them will be going through what you're going through. But it is so important that the only voice in your head is not your own and the spiritual battle you're going through. You need other believers who can say whoa, whoa, whoa. Yeah, I know the Bible says that. What about this? I know you're really discouraged with this. I know you feel unlovable, but we love you.

Speaker 1: 25:09

We need what I would call accountability, in the sense of we need outside voices who we've given the permission to speak into our lives. And again, I think this happens best in small group communities. And so when we're freaking out and all of a sudden our opinions, our fears, our worries become facts, we need someone who can objectively say stop. And the reason I think it happens best in these small group communities is because you got to know someone to be given the permission to do this. Otherwise it just seems like bullying or judgmental or being hypocritical. If I came up to you and I didn't know anything about you and I said, well, this is why you're wrong, like I'm just a jerk, but like if we're hanging out every week and getting together and you know I care about you and I've done favors for you and you've done favors for me, and I say, hey, listen, I think you're a little bit in your head on this. You know, I think God is doing this and this is happening. And if we trust that person, if we trust that person, we say thank you, you're right. And then it's not just our voice in our head, it's not just temptation's voice in our head, but now we have an ally's voice speaking into our head. And so if we're in that, where you're here today, and you're like this is the spiritual battle that I am indeed facing, it's time to get into Christian community. It's time to make time to get into it.

Speaker 1: 26:26

We wrap this passage up in verse 13. When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, the devil tried what I'm guessing are his three best shots and he left Jesus until the next opportunity came. If you're taking notes, underline that Until the next opportunity came. Your victory today does not mean victory next week or next year or in 10 years. You getting out of a season of spiritual attacks doesn't mean it's not going to happen again. It means your enemy is regrouping. Okay, you win this time, but I'll be back. Spiritual warfare is ongoing. It's never truly over.

Speaker 1: 27:03

Satan would come back in different ways and at different times to tempt not just Jesus but his followers and us. Today it is a gentle reminder. Spiritual battles they do. They come and go. But it's also a reminder or let me just point it out that if you're going through a spiritual attack, battle, conflict, it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. Why is that the narrative so often in our faith, that if I'm going through spiritual warfare I must be doing something wrong? Let's stop for a second and say well, one Jesus was in the wilderness fasting when he goes through one of the biggest spiritual battles of his life and I don't think any of us could objectively say he was doing anything wrong. So we hold him to that standard. But then, when it comes to me, if I'm going through spiritual warfare I must be doing something wrong. No, stop.

Speaker 1: 27:47

You know Satan, the devil demons. They can't be everywhere at once. We're actually told in the devil demons. They can't be everywhere at once. We're actually told in the Bible. They're numbered. We don't know what that number is, but we're told they're numbered. So they can't be everywhere at once. They don't know everything. They're not God. What am I saying? They have limited resources. We have a God of unlimited resources who knows everything, can be everywhere at all times. But our enemy does not, which means he's got to strategically pick and choose who he's going to mess with. And if he's not messing with you, it's probably because he doesn't consider you an investment. And if he's messing with you, he probably sees you as a threat. He's probably bothered by whatever you're saying or whatever you're doing.

Speaker 1: 28:30

I love this quote from Charles Spurgeon the nearer we get to heaven and point of experience, the more we must expect to be assailed by the devil. When the devil has little to lose, he is often quiet, but when he has everything to lose, he is often furious. When you are doing the right things, you should fully expect to be spiritually attacked. You should expect it. If you're a new believer and just getting started in your faith, you should expect some of these temptations. You should do it just once. Just try it. Will God really provide for you? Why? Because now you might be a problem. You're like a new recruit in the kingdom of heaven and so Satan's going to come and hit you.

Speaker 1: 29:14

If you're getting deeper and more serious about your faith you're not a new believer, but you're here, you're watching, listening online and you're trying to go deeper you should expect spiritual attacks Because now you're becoming more invested for the wrong side. You're no longer a neutral party. You're now becoming stronger in your faith. If you're starting to help people find and follow Jesus, you should expect the heaviest kind of assault that hell can give you. Which is why I think that people at Madison Church we get hit with spiritual warfare. Because all three of those things are happening, because we baptize new believers at this church, because we see people who come to our church and they get on a path and they become leaders and coordinators and small group leaders and they step up because we help people find and follow Jesus. It's not just the Stephen Feith show on Sunday mornings, but it's a true equipping and empowering of people to send them out into the world and say you help now and you make disciples.

Speaker 1: 30:11

We're a target at Madison Church and I think that sometimes when Jesus says that the path is narrow, he's not saying like, numerically, a lot of people aren't going to heaven. What I think Jesus is saying the path is narrow because once you begin walking in this and realizing that if I do the right things, life is going to become hard and I'm going to get spiritually attacked, a lot of people just say, nah, maybe later. Now's not a good time. God Circle back. I think that's why it is. It's not that Jesus can't give us full life, but it's that he gives us so much full life that our enemy hates it. Our enemy hates you and our enemy wants to see you not have that full life.

Speaker 1: 30:50

And so I hope, if you're taking just one thing away from this talk, if you are experiencing spiritual warfare right now, you're doing some right things and the answer is to stand firm. The answer is to dig in deep. The answer is to dig in deep, stand firm and to lean on one another. You're not in this alone. We're all going through it. You're not in this alone. We're all going through it the different capacities. So stick a hand out, reach out.

Speaker 1: 31:16

Cs Lewis says the safest road to hell is the gradual one, the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. Every single one of us will go through a spiritual attack. It'll be half truths, half lies and it will be subtle. You might think that's just me overthinking this or that's just me being obsessive, but it might not be. It might be an enemy who knows his best strategy to get you to leave your faith and abandon. It is just one small lie at a time.

Speaker 1: 31:50

Now, as I wrap this up, I hope you don't hear me saying you got to start a whole bunch of new things. You're taking notes. You're like I got to memorize some passages this week. I've got to learn a little bit more about spiritual warfare. I got to get in a small group community. Now I got to persevere what. I want you to see this as an invitation to exercise your freedom.

Speaker 1: 32:09

Can you begin to prioritize your spiritual health as much as your physical health? For some of you, can you prioritize your physical health as much as your spiritual health? You know where you're at on which one that you tend to invest more in. How can you begin to invest in both? What areas do you need to cut back on?

Speaker 1: 32:29

I'm reading a book another book by Dr Henry Cloud, one of my favorite authors just really getting into his stuff lately, and he was talking in one of his chapters all about pruning plants. He's a big landscaping guy. I've got landscaping on the brain, which is the project that Dave stewed a couple weeks ago but he was talking about and I didn't know this. But some of you garden people, planters you guys know this is true Apparently. Some of you garden people, planters you guys know this is true Apparently.

Speaker 1: 32:53

Every plant, or most plants, produce more life than they can live with. They produce more life than they can contain, meaning a plant can die because it has too much life. Eventually, if you don't prune and take care of the plant or if it doesn't figure out a way to do it itself, the plant dies from too much life. So when you're pruning a plant, we might think if you're a beginner gardener, you're like we'll cut the dead stuff off. But somebody who's been gardening for a while says it's not just the dead stuff. Sometimes you got to cut good stuff off. Sometimes you got to cut great stuff off. What's the ideal here?

Speaker 1: 33:33

What I always worry is that we give a talk like this and we talk about getting into small group or reading the Bible more. I think that what we hear is like I've got to cut something bad out of my life. But I don't have anything bad in my life. That's fine.

Speaker 1: 33:46

What I'm saying this morning is you might have to cut something good out of your life. You might have to cut something great out of your life. You might have to cut someone wonderful out of your life to become who God wants you to be. You cut some good things off so you can be great. You cut great things off so you can be even better. But take this warning seriously. You can die from too much life and I think that for a lot of us in the United States of America, we have a ton of life. There's more stuff than a lot of us in the United States of America. We have a ton of life. There's more stuff than we can do, but we're trying to do it all and we need to take this warning that maybe it's time to prune back on some good things so that I can do some better things.